


The Writer's Epitaph

by lordvxmy



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordvxmy/pseuds/lordvxmy
Summary: Light Yagami is a young, astonishing author who has always excelled and placed number one in his classes. In order to reach his goal as the number one author in Japan, he must first graduate from an elitist academia class. While in this class, Light meets another student, Lawliet, who is on the same level as Light. Will Light be able to overcome Lawliet or will Lawliet always be the better author?
Kudos: 1





	1. The Pages

**Author's Note:**

> hiii so lol this is my first fanfic & honestly idk wtf im doing im just writing shit tbh BUT i really like this concept & the plans/storylines i have in mind!! ill try my best to somewhat regularly add chapters! keep in mind i also dont expect this to be as long as the original death note! just imagine this as a long oneshot if that makes sense?

Light set down his pen and received his grade from the teacher regarding the National Youth of Japan Writer League’s exam. After only two days of studying, he received an A- on the exam. As much as an achievement this would seem to most students of this caliber, Light wasn’t surprised. He expected to place high. After all, he did rank first in elementary, middle, and now high school in the AP writing exams. Light packed his bags and against the harsh snow, the young student strolled back home. He was greeted with warm smiles from his family. 

“How’d you do on the exam, my little Edgar Allen Poe,” Sachiko, Light’s mother, inquired. 

“I got an A-, nothing to get excited over,” the student replied, “Now please allow me to think about the college application essay.” 

“Oh, of course! Would you like anything to eat? You’ve been gone all day,” Sachiko asked. 

“Thanks but I’m fine. I’ll be writing now so please don’t bother me,” Light answered as he exiled himself into his room. 

He closed the door and tossed his bag onto the floor. Throwing himself onto his bed, the boy sighed as he pondered about his future. How much will he achieve. How far will his work go. How much he can push himself. His drive for creating stories. He was always inspired to become a well-known, famous author known for his macabre, ghastly, murder-mystery stories. The thought of creating the perfect story, the Holy Grail of books, always motivated and pushed Light to write. He desired and yearned to always stay as the number one student and would do anything to stay in that position. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything get in his way. 

Light sat at his desk and stared at the college application. He questioned himself about what he could write about. Himself? His life story? His future? No. It was all too predictable. Most applicants would go for a more personal, emotional essay. Writing about their imperfections or emotional growth was a typical path for the students. But Light wanted to protrude out from the rest of the students. After all, what flaws could an enchanting, brilliant, astute, young man like Light have? He had no problem getting girls, friends, or good grades. So, he chose something else. Something more of his style. That’s it! 

A storm of words and ideas started to form inside the young writer’s head. He spent days toying around with different concepts. One about a lover killing her husband for money. Another about a rampant killer on the loose. Another about a group of people that have to kill in order to live. Another about a mysterious string of deaths that target criminals. Yes… That’s the one. 

Suddenly, several criminals start dying. Someone is behind the deaths and someone wants to catch the killer. Seemed morbid and thrilling enough to meet Light’s standards. He started to fight against the empty page, swiftly filling the white void with a wall of words. Light detailed the moral dilemma of the deaths and the emotions behind the killing. The expected regret but also the justification of killing was also taken note of in the story. He questioned, is having the power to kill people evil? Is killing bad? Does killing bad people make the killer evil? The concept of a misguided, easily corrupted, morally grey character fascinated Light. He knew that this concept, this idea was his strong suit. His strength. Nothing, absolutely nothing could drag him away from this. Day and night, the boy tackled several pages filling out why and how the protagonist killed criminals. 

Light’s mother would occasionally check on him, asking if he needed a snack. He usually barked back, declining the offers, not wanting to be pulled away from his creative bubble by such earthly necessities. 

When Light began a story, he wanted to be in that mindset until his vision was completed. He often declined the help and advice of others, believing that other writers weren’t on his level, that he and his mind was above others. Light praised himself for writing such an intelligent, deep, thrilling, enticing story. He envisioned himself as the next Edgar Allan Poe, the gothic Charles Dickens. Light’s mind swiftly dozed off into a dream where dozens of authors spoke highly of his work. The authors relentlessly praised him, even calling him the god of modern gothic literature. He lightly chuckled at the over-exaggerated name but appreciated and adored the idea and message behind it. 

After snapping back into reality, he continued pouring words onto the page. A few weeks later, he had finished the first chapter of the book. He proudly grinned at his work. He knew that this story was a masterpiece, his personal Mona Lisa. Light was always intimate with the thought that his mind had limitless potential. That, somewhere inside him, was a bright, creative tree that could reach millions of people. He glared down at the arsenal of words on the page and smiled. He felt haughty but deserved to feel that way. In his own eyes, Light was the god of modern literature, even at such a young age. 

This sense of self-righteousness pushed Light to easily submit the chapter to the college application board without a second thought of questioning. He wasn’t overly concerned with the competition of this college. He knew that his previous grades and awards would look desirable to the college. 

At this point, Light already saw himself as a college student. That’s how sure of himself he knew that he’d be accepted. The writer revised the chapter, placed it into an envelope, and put it inside the college’s application drop-off box. He glared up at the sun, knowing that his future was going to be bright. He knew that he was going to be the number one author in Japan and that no one was going to stop him.


	2. The Devil in White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light has been accepted into the college! As Light packs for college, he attends an annual hearing for the college. During the hearing, Light stumbles across a student who is on the same level as Light. Who is this student and how does Light respond to this?

Light had a somewhat joyous look on his typically emotionless face. It was in April 1973. A few months had passed from when the application submissions closed. As he expected, Light was accepted into the college. Light shared the acceptance letter with his family and, in return, was responded with hugs and congratulations. His family dined over food and had smiles gleaming on their face. Of course, Light had a smile on his face too, but not because he got accepted. He smiled because he was one step closer to achieving his goal, one step closer to having hundreds of thousands of fans. 

After celebrating with his family, Light continued the process of moving into the college. The student sat on the floor while he organised his belongings into boxes. While cramming his clothes into boxes, he stumbled upon his previous stories. He scoffed at his not so impressive stories. Don’t get it wrong, though. He was still handed awards for those stories. It’s just that Light has greatly improved his work. The boy embraced self-glory as he continued to reminisce about his past. He got up and stood at his desk. In admiration, Light gently dragged his finger over his pen collection. These pens meant everything to Light. Without them, how else could he express his ideas and morals? Without his pens, his magic tools, Light was nothing but a hollow corpse without a tongue. He put on his gloves as he carefully placed the pens into the box of clothes. He made sure to place enough padding around the pens so it’ll be protected. To be frank, the writer was more terrified of moving his pens than moving away from his family. 

After hours of meticulously adding cushioning for his pens and days of packing, Light was almost ready to move into the academy. Before he could officially move in, he first had to attend the academic hearing. Essentially, the hearing was an event that announced and welcomed the new students while saying farewell to the graduated students. To prepare for the hearing, Light decorated himself with a dashing, sharp, jet black suit followed by a rich, burgundy tie. The author applied a concealer to his eye bags. As much as Light loved to study and write, the perfect student image he’s been keeping up for years had taken a physical toll on him. Light always felt a need to look like the best person in the room. But now was important. He needed to look his damn best at the hearing since it’d be a massive public speech. There would be countless eyes on Light, especially on him since he had been chosen for the best freshman speech for the academy this year. 

As the boy finished his makeup, he made his way onto the hearing. Along the way, he caught up on The Raven while spectating all the students chattering. Light couldn’t help but smirk upon hearing the chit-chat. He thought to himself that one day his name WILL be on their tongues, that the only thing they could talk about his work and legacy. While hearing the people chatter, Light overheard a few girls obsess over an author by the name of Ryuzaki. Ryuzaki was an up-and-coming author who had recently published a best-selling book. Light brushed this clamouring off as he took his reserved seat. 

His ears perked up when the announcer on the PA system declared, “May I please announce the two smartest freshmen up to the stage. May the first student, Light Yagami, please come up!” 

Suddenly, a sickening, repulsive, nauseating feeling started to turn in Light’s stomach. “Two students,” Light questioned to himself, “Two students as the best freshmen? Never have I been more disgusted in my life. I was supposed to be the only student!” 

The author marched upon the stage and boldly faced the seemingly endless crowd of people applauding him. 

He smirked thinking, “This almost is a dream come true. Almost.” The announcer requested, “May the second student, Lawliet, come up!” 

Lawliet rose from the crowd. Light immediately scouted Lawliet. Light took note of Lawliet as he approached Light. Lawliet’s shiny, slick back, coal hair, and his tailored, almost shiny, pearly suit immediately captured Light’s eyes. Before waving the crowd, the tall, lanky Lawliet shook Light’s hand and introduced himself. 

“Lawliet. Nice to meet you Light. Would you be down for a cup of tea later?” Lawliet softly spoke. 

“A cup of tea? Who does this guy think he is? My friend?” Light first thought before answering back, “Sure, I wouldn’t mind.” 

After the two adept authors gave their respective speeches, they sat both by an enchanting, charming garden for some tea. As the two were sitting down, Light noticed the peculiar way Lawliet sat. 

“May I ask why are you sitting like that?” Light asked. 

Lawliet responded, “I sit like this because it helps me pay attention to everything. If anyone were to sit like this, they would quickly feel uncomfortable and return to a normal position. However, this uncomfortable, lurking feeling forces me to focus on my surroundings. Taking notes of my environment helps me create better scenes in my books,” Lawliet shot back. 

“I see. I remember reading a book by an author who did the same thing...” Light started to connect the dots as he twirled a pen between his fingers and declared, “Wait, the author’s name was Ryuzaki... Are you…?” 

Lawliet teasingly chuckled, “You caught me. I am Ryuzaki.” 

Light paused before he successfully held back a revolted expression on his face. He stated, 

“W-Wow, I can’t believe THE Ryuzaki is going to attend the same school I do. I must say, I’m a devotee of your work. The way you build your worlds and structure your arcs is truly something worthy of being dissected and studied over.” 

Lawliet faintly frowned, “Thank you for the praise. I do mean that from the bottom of my wandering heart, but I don’t need your applause. You see, Light, writing is simply a way for me to express the things I cannot understand, the things I cannot see. So many people are consumed and swallowed by fame. They’re nothing but lost sheep without a shepherd, a child without their parents. But you’re different, Light. Judging you from our brief time together and your mannerisms, something in you is frankly confounding.” 

Light sipped his tea as a response. “Ah, sorry for keeping you here,” Lawliet playfully snickered, “I’m sure you’re still wrapped up in the process of moving in and meeting the other students. I’ve never been an admirer of socialisation nor people getting to know me. That’s a reason why I use a pen name. But… I look forward to working with you in the future, Light.” 

Light smirked, “Thanks for the compliments, Lawliet. I hope moving in and adjusting will be a breeze for you.” 

“Ditto. Adieu, Light,” Lawliet spoke as he shook Light’s hand and walked away. 

Light sat there for a little while, chewing on Lawliet’s words before heading back to his own room. 

“Damn him!” Light howled as he slammed the desk with his fist.  
“Lawliet already has a best-selling book and I’m going to have classes with him!? Am I cursed? What did I do to deserve such a horrible fate? T-This man... No, this monster is threatening to steal my position and my spotlight!” 

The student tranquilised himself as he took a seat. 

“Hear me, beast. For whatever you have, cherish it. For soon, it will be mine. This is war, Lawliet.”


End file.
